Musa’s Abstract Tattoos Transform Body Art into Fine Art

Little is known about this Czech tattoo artist. Instead of providing biographical info on his website, Musa keeps his personal identity a close secret. This allows his tattoo art to speak for itself; a tactic that many artists have used in the past but is seldom employed by current artists. It also adds to the abstract nature of Musa’s body art as it is in the nature of abstract art to be presented to the world without being defined by an explanation.

Musa’s abstract tattoo style is both artistic and unusual. His designs challenge commonly held beliefs about what tattoo designs should look like by recreating the effect of other art mediums such as paint and pencil. [source]

Abstract Art as Tattoo Designs

In the article Abstract Tattoos Distort Reality on Skin, Ratta Tattoo takes a look at what abstract art really is. The easiest way to describe abstract art is a collection of shapes and lines that represent an idea or realistic object while not closely resembling the actual idea or object. For example, the heart icon ♥ that we are all familiar with doesn’t resemble the human heart, yet this abstract shape is used to represent both the human heart and emotions that are linked to the heart (love, caring and compassion). It is an abstract shape that doesn’t reflect reality but rather an abstract idea about the reality. Abstract artists often try to push the boundaries of their art form by creating less and less recognizable representations of an idea.

Abstract tattoo artist Musa uses the popular heart icon to add more meaning to this tattoo design of an angel character. This is an interesting design because angels are essentially abstract ideas; idealistic celestial beings that don’t exist in tangible reality. This piece delves deep into the realm of abstraction by expressing an abstract idea in an abstract manner. [source]

Jackson Pollock is a good example of an abstract artist who really pushed the boundaries of his art form. While other abstract artists defied convention by changing the way that they represented an object or idea, Pollock’s work changed the very way in which art was created. Liberating himself from brush and pen, Pollock began splattering, dribbling and splashing paint onto canvas, creating abstract forms that were unrecognizable. Through Pollock’s work the art world was finally freed from traditional painting techniques. Musa reflects this same way of thinking in his tattoos, mimicking the splatter and dribble effect of Pollock’s art in tattoo designs as a way of liberating his designs from commonplace tattooing techniques.

A Musa abstract tattoo that uses red and black ink to create high contrast against this guy’s pale skin. The tattoo design looks like someone has dribbled paint across his body. Above the heart, the spilled paint spells the word “free”. The effect of spilled paint resembles the artistic technique that made Jackson Pollock famous as an abstract artist. [source]

Musa’s Abstract Tattoos

Many of Musa’s abstract tattoos have elements that resemble Jackson Pollock’s paintings. The visual effect creates the illusion that an artist has flung paint at the skin, leaving a permanent splatter of ink in the form of a tattoo. The effect can often appear unintentional, yet the shapes and lines used in Musa’s splatters work with the form of the body, accentuating some areas while leaving others areas bare to create a vivid contrast.

The blank space in this abstract tattoo by Musa is as important to the design as the ink work, creating a sense of high contrast. [source]

Musa often uses scribbles and sketched lines in his tattoo art, creating the impression that the tattoo is simply a drawing on the skin rather than a permanent piece of body art. Some of these scribbles appear to simply be a decorative element within the tattoo design, but many have a deeper symbolic meaning. Where the scribble is placed on the body can change the meaning of this design element. For example, to express a broken heart, the scribble could be placed above the heart. Some of the scribble appear to be a mess of lines from a distance, but on closer inspection reveal words or designs hidden within the doodle.

An abstract tattoo design by Musa that has a butterfly hidden within what seems like a scribble. [source]

Creating a painterly effect in a tattoo design adds to the artistic nature of the tattoo. By copying brushstrokes and the translucency of paint from an original painting, Musa can create a tattoo that appears to be painted on the skin, literally transforming a tattoo from a design to an art work. Like other abstract artists before him, Musa challenges the conventions of his art form, pushing the boundaries of traditional tattoo art.

A bird frolics in the painterly effect of this Musa tattoo. From a distance the tattoo looks like a collection of brushstrokes and splattered paint but when the viewer pieces the artistic elements together, the abstract shapes form the impression of a bird in flight. [source]

Take a look at Musa’s website for more pictures of his abstract tattoo art and to find contact details for the artist.

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